Kimball, who had played with the band for four years, didn’t return to the bus following a show in Missouri on Friday night and wouldn’t respond to band members when they tried to contact her. The group — now consisting of brothers Mike and Tom Gossin and Rachel Reinert — took the bus to the next gig and saw a tweet from Kimball on Saturday saying: “Fans, I'm no longer going to be apart (sic) of Gloriana. It's been a great 4 years and thank you for all of ur support. See u soon.”

It was news to them.

“This came as much of a surprise to us as it did everyone else,” says Tom, who maintains there was no argument leading up to Kimball’s departure. “We were saddened and hurt. Bands are like relationships between two people, there are trials and tribulations along the way and you do your best to live and make music together and that’s what we were doing. It feels almost like being left at the altar.”Continue reading →

Galante will remain in his position until a new label group leader is named, and he'll consult his replacement during the transition process.

“As a 21-year-old kid from Queens starting out at RCA Records in New York, I never dreamed of the nearly 40-year journey that was before me," Galante said in a release issued by the label Wednesday. (He and label representatives declined interview requests from The Tennessean.) “In 1974, a temporary Nashville assignment turned permanent, and it changed my life — I thank God for it every day. This is solely my decision and I’m excited to begin my journey down another road. . . . Nashville is my home and will continue to be.”

Sony Music Entertainment CEO Rolf Schmidt-Holtz thanked Galante for his “many years of invaluable service to our company” in the release.

“I wish him much success in his future endeavors,” Schmidt-Holtz said, “and know from experience that he will be successful in whatever he chooses for his next chapter.”

Galante began his music industry career in 1971 as a budget analyst at RCA Records. In 1982, he was named head of RCA Nashville, becoming the youngest man to ever lead a major label in Nashville.Continue reading →